29/03/2019
DR. JOSEP ESTEVE SOLER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE ESTEVE GROUP, HAS PASSED AWAY
Dr. Josep Esteve Soler, former president of ESTEVE and member of the sixth generation of a family of pharmacists, has passed away in Barcelona at the age of 89.
Born on January 4, 1930, Dr. Josep Esteve joined the company very young, in 1953. With a Doctorate in Pharmacy and a Postgraduate Degree in Business Administration and Management from IESE, he took over the Management of the company in 1979 and held the Presidency of the Group, along with his siblings Joan and Montserrat, after the death of his father, Antoni Esteve i Subirana (the founder of ESTEVE).
In addition to keeping the values of the founder of ESTEVE unchanged, he also knew how to transmit his wisdom, generosity and sensitivity towards the environment, both in business and family relationships.
Dr. Josep Esteve, together with his siblings, was the architect of the company's growth strategy based on three pillars: getting new products to market in Spain, exploring international markets and defending the interests of the sector.
Dr. Josep Esteve received public recognition in the academic, scientific, political and economic fields. Besides being conferred the 'Orden Civil de Sanidad, the medal of honor in health care, and the 'Creu de Sant Jordi, Saint Georges Cross, he was an academic of the Royal Academies of Pharmacy and Medicine of Catalonia, of the Academy of Pharmacy of Spain, of the Academy of Pharmacy of France and of the Academy of Doctors of Catalonia and Balearic Islands. He was also a member of several boards, including the Prince of Asturias Foundation, and received several awards, such as "Best Entrepreneur of the Year" granted by the Spanish economy magazine 'Actualidad Económica in 1997.
Furthermore, Dr. Josep Esteve was involved in defending the interests of the pharmaceutical sector against the Spanish and European government bodies, in his function as president of 'Farmaindustria, the Spanish pharmaceutical society, between 1975 and 1977 as well as between 1987 and 1989, and he was the representative of the Spanish employers on the Board of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association until 1994. He also belonged to the Advisory Board for Science and Technology from its creation in 1987 until 2001 and to the Board of the Catalan Research Foundation between 1989 and 2000.
